WEEPING WALRUS REFUSES TO BE COMFORTED

Evening Star, Issue 21138, 25 June 1932, Page 5

WEEPING WALRUS REFUSES TO BE COMFORTED

The Zoo is faced once again with the problem of providing a lonely baby creature with a suitable playmate. Andy, the walrus, has lost Ids friend and companion Harriet. When the baby female walrus died suddenly many people felt grieved, but none of her human friends can miss her as much as Andy. After her death he cried for her for two hours. He made a sobbing noise, and restlessly patrolled Ins pond and enclosure as though searching for his lost playmate. This went on for days; and Andy is still fretting. Unhappily, it is by no means easy to provide Andy with a suitable companion, and in the meantime poor Andy must go on being unhappy. The sea-lions would not welcome him in their pond; and, although a baby seal is considered as a possible alternative, this, it is feared, might not work well.

A few years ago the Zoo had another lonely young walrus, also called Andy, who was so anxious to have companionship that he twice managed to escape from his den. Both times he went in search of the sea-lions, and the second time he reached their pond and was in danger of being attacked by them when the keeper wont to his rescue. After that the Zoo bought a baby seal to be his playmate; but, alas! instead of being a comfort to this Andy the seal bullied him unmercifully, biting him so severely one day that they had to be separated.

It is not unusual for menagerie animals to fret over the loss of their companions. AVhen Maggie, the Zoo’s old giraffe, died one of her companions, Maudie, was obviously very distressed. For four days after Maggie’s death Maudie was “ off ” her food, and steadily refused to enter the section of their den where Maggie had been in the habit of sleeping. The old giraffe had always mothered the younger animal, and there was obviously a strong affection between them.